Trump Should Not Undermine the Rule of Law; His Desperate Tweet Should Be Disregarded

Statement of Lisa Gilbert, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Public Citizen

President Donald Trump’s tweet today calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is a dangerous attempt to undermine the rule of law and should be disregarded.

Trump has no business interfering in the investigation, which is looking into whether he and his campaign colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 elections. Far from being a “witch hunt,” as Trump likes to call it, Mueller’s investigation has made extraordinary progress at record speed. In just a little over a year, it has racked up 35 indictments and five guilty pleas. The trial of Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, is in its second day. Trump’s tweet smacks of desperation.

For the sake of our democracy, as Mueller’s team continues to dig, it is imperative that Trump does not make any move to stop the investigation.

Trump should know that any attempt to interfere with the investigation will be met with nationwide protests; 350,000 people have signed up to protest in more than 900 locations across the country.

Last month, nearly 200 vigils and protests were held in 39 states and Puerto Rico to call for an end to open corruption in the Trump administration and demand immediate solutions to fix our democracy.